Kept At Bay
by RogueMetamorph
Summary: When Niklaus happens upon a Mesmer named Bae Marlow, he has met his match. Not only is she a force to be reckoned with but she has the power to control a person's body with a flick of her wrist. And as he gets to know her, he realizes she's gained control over more than just his body, but possibly his heart... Made up of one shots, starts in TVD and continues into TO. OC/Klaus.
1. Pledge

**Kept At Bay**

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**Disclaimer:**** I don't own **_**The Vampire Diaries**_** or **_**The Originals **_**(the TV show, the books and etc.) which includes any of its characters, dialogue and story arcs. I also don't own any other book, movie, song, character or dialogue I may have mentioned along the way. I just so happened to use it for nonprofit able fun in my spare time.**

**Author's Note: This is a story that is made up of one-shots chronicling the exploits of my OC- a Mesmer named Bae Marlow- and our (mostly) favorite Hybrid Original, Niklaus Mikaelson. This starts out as a series of one-shots that will eventually turn into a full blown story that has some chapters that have elements of the television show and some chapters that are purely the television show. This is basically a story that gets to the point when telling the story of these two power houses... Please enjoy. **

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**Pledge.**

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Bae walked into his house without bothering to knock or wait for someone to come to the door to let her in. She wasn't in the mood to wait around for him. He'd called her just as she got home from working down at the Mystic Grill, sending her a text that made her roll her eyes before turning around and getting gin her car again.

"Niklaus?"

"Hello, Bae,"

She looked up to find Niklaus watching her form the top of the stairs, smiling down at her as if he were the cat that had caught the canary. It set her ill at ease as she watched him move down the stairs with ease until he came to stand in front of her.

"What do you want?" she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was in the middle of something important,"

"Oh really?" he smiled, looking her up and down. "Well I couldn't have been too important if you came running when I called,"

She chuckled up at him with a roll of her eyes. "I just got off work when you texted me. I have about an hour before I drop off to sleep no matter where I am,"

"So I see," he murmured, looking from her old tennis shoes to the splatter of grease on her shoulder to the exhaustion in her face. "I'll get to the point then… I want you to pledge yourself to-"

"No,"

He seemed shocked at first but then raised an eyebrow at her. "Why not?"

"Because," she shrugged. "I know what that word means to anyone older than the last few centuries. It means more than just helping you out a few times in your stupid search for power. I do not intend to pledge myself just because a big bad Hybrid thinks he can bully me about,"

"Thinks?" he repeated with a devilish smirk.

She raised her hand, freezing him in place and forcing him to stand like a tin soldier. He snarled at her despite himself, glaring at her from his frozen stance. She walked up to him, her face inches from his, smiling at him.

"Thinks," Bae repeated. "Mesmer. Remember?"

"You owe me," he snarled at her. "I let you live,"

She frowned at him. Yes, it was true that he'd let her live a month ago when she'd snuck into town. She'd just made her place, bought her own house with the money she'd swindled her way into before arriving, got the job at the Mystic Grill, she'd met the local supernaturals. Then, one night, she'd been on her way home when a voice stopped her.

"_My, my," _

_Bae gasped as she spun around to find a man standing directly behind her. He was a handsome man, his hair looking red in the darkness of the parking lot. He was dressed well, British if she could tell anything from only those two words he'd spoke so far. However, he made shivers run down her spine as she came to face him. Not only did he have a dangerous quality to him but there was no way a human could sneak up on her the way he'd done. _

_He was stalking towards her now, with a mischievous smile on his face. "Don't you smell absolutely delicious,"_

_Bae shifted uncomfortably against her PT cruiser, keeping her keep in her hand so that she could either be quick to drive away from danger or to stab the man in the eye. "That's a strange way to introduce yourself to someone," _

_He dropped his eyes from hers as if shy, chuckling softly before he met her eyes again, pinning her against her car. "What are you?"_

"_Certainly not a person who falls victim to compulsion," she bit at him as she watched the pupils of his eyes shift. "Or to a vampire,"_

_There was a twitch in his face that told her that he was shocked but he hid it well, letting the smile return to his face as he stopped a few feet from her. _

"_Then do tell, love, what are you?" _

_She smiled back at him, mirroring his comfortable stance. _

"_Come now," he sighed, tossing his head. "It's obvious you aren't mundane," _

"_Obviously," she smiled, her fingers twitching at her side. "But you'll never find out,"_

_He jerked forward as if he'd meant to attack her but he never got more than a few inches before he came to a stop. It was almost comical watching him frozen in his spot, his face morphed and frightening when he had nowhere to go. What almost had her smiling was the golden eyes that widened in surprise as he looked down at himself, as if wondering why his body had betrayed him._

"_Funny," she snorted, raising the hand that held him under her power of control. With his body under her control she stepped towards him, confused at the black and golden eyes of a werewolf when he'd only a moment ago been trying to compel her, the fangs that poked from his mouth being those of both creatures. _

"… _What are you?"_

"_What are you doing to me?" the man spat at her viciously, desperately fighting the control she had over him. _

_She chose to ignore him. "You aren't a werewolf… but your eyes…"_

"_Let go of me!"_

"_So what? You can attack and eat me?" she threw back, dipping in until their faces were close enough so that she knew he could smell her blood. "Give me a reason,"_

_He frowned at her, his face remaining the monstrous mix of wolf and vampire as he stared at her, hating her silently. _

"_That's what I thought," she smiled, stepping back to get into her car, managing to keep her control on him even as she climbed into the car and buckled in. "Back off. I'm going to be in town for a while and don't think I won't walk you into something deadly if you come after me again,"_

_She drove away, letting him go just as she turned onto a busy road… and he didn't follow her. _

She'd expected him to follow her but when she'd stepped over the threshold of her house she'd let out a breath of relief. However, it had been only a few days before he found where she lived, knowing on her door politely and waiting for her to answer. She'd been surprised and a little frightened when she found him standing on her doorstep. To her surprise he'd been there to offer her his protection against those who might threaten her in town if she would become one of his lackeys. Of course she'd refused and slammed the door in his face, despite how stupid it was to do so.

But he hadn't hurt her, never been violent towards her. Maybe because, despite her being the only person that might hold power over him, he was planning on not killing her. Maybe it was because he knew what she was even back then and knew that it was take more than a little force to sway her. Maybe it was because he liked her enough to be friends.

"Letting me live is your problem," she told him with another shrug as she turned her back on him, maintaining her hold on his body despite him not being in her line of sight. She could feel him fighting against her when he believed her control to be the weakest but he failed. Once she had control over him, she wasn't going to let go of it until she chose to let him go. "Nice try, Niklaus. You aren't going anywhere until I want you to,"

"_Bae_,"

"You aren't going to force my loyalty, Niklaus," she told him, turning around to meet his eyes again. "You can earn it… we can become friends and I might chose to help you in a few of your debacles… but you will not force me to pledge my loyalty until I think you're worthy,"

Niklaus's lips turned into a thin line as he frowned at her. She thought it was cute.

"You'll be mine eventually, little Mesmer,"

She grinned, turning back to open the front door and head out to her car. "Good luck with that,"


	2. Friends

**Friends.**

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Bae groaned as she stepped out of the bathroom, ready to finished with her shift. It was true that most of her first few years from home had been spent shuffling her and her brother's childhood accounts around until they were tied up in stocks that were currently earning her money. Then she'd gone around swindling money in any way she could with her powers until she'd gotten enough to buy the house she was living in now. But she wanted a normal life.

That meant being a bone tired waitress earning minimum wage.

Her eyes raised as she brushed her hands over her jean encased thighs, her eyes catching on the figure that walked in. She frowned at him as his eyes turned and met hers in return, a smile appearing on his handsome face. It annoyed her, making her roll her eyes in annoyance as she straightened, ready to get back to work until he sat down rather purposefully in her section.

She frowned at him as he simply smirked. It made her either want to take the rest of the night off or to walk over to smack that look right off his face. As much as he might think she liked playing this little cat and mouse game with him, being normal was something she strangely enjoyed not being some sort of powerhouse. That was what got most of her ancestors skilled, what her family wanted when they banded together each year… that's not what she wanted to become.

But she couldn't ignore him forever. So she glared at the insufferable man as she stomped over to him with her pen ready, stabbing it into her pad as she stopped next to his table.

"Oh dear," he smiled. "If only looks could stake,"

"I'm working, Niklaus. Go away,"

"Yes," he nodded, looking around as he leaned back into his seat, arms wide. "And you chose to be in the consumer service profession and I'm a consumer," The most seductive grin appeared on his face as he looked her right in the eye, raising an eyebrow. "Service me,"

She rolled her eyes, ready to walk away.

"Wait! Wait," he side, leaning forward again to look up at her. "I came here to ask a favor,"

"To pledge my loyalty?" she snapped, stopping to turn around and face him again. "No thank you. I'm currently busy working. I have no time for pledges,"

"That's not why I'm here," he interrupted before she could turn away again. "I want to be friends,"

"Friends?"

"Friends," he smiled comfortably.

The shock of the whole situation left her silent, staring down at him in surprise. "What?"

"You heard me,"

"And why should I be your friend?" she asked him stepping back towards his table, leaning her hip against it. "So you haven't murdered anyone lately. Let's be best pals?"

"Something like that,"

Bae rolled her eyes, pushing off the table. He could be awfully cute when he wanted something from someone… when he wasn't being violent as the alternative to being cute. But as she turned to look at his smiling face she couldn't help but roll her eyes for a second time.

"You don't know how friendship works, do you?"

"Then enlighten me,"

"You trust," she snapped at him. "You trust each other when you sit down and talk to each other about things you can't talk to other people about. You trust each other to help you when you need something. You trust them enough to be able to ask them for help. You do things for them without expectations. You love them,"

Niklaus frowned up at her, looking away from her.

"That's what I thought,"

She turned and was about to walk away when a hand closed around her wrist, spinning her around to have Niklaus face to face. She gasped a little, shocked when her face came so close to his as he stared down at her. He didn't seem at all bothered by it, just held her wrist.

"What would you have me do?"

Bae was sure she stood there for a full thirty seconds staring up at him before she reacted, blinking harshly as she took a step back, clearing her throat.

"Um…" She almost laughed. "I don't know… Stop asking me to pledge myself?"

He smiled at her with more satisfaction that she was comfortable with. "Done," He let go of her wrist to sit back down in his seat, leaning back comfortably. "How about when you're off your shift we have a nice _friendly_ chat? Just us friends,"

Bae rolled her eyes. "No,"


	3. Mesmers

**Mesmers.**

* * *

Bae probably hated walking more than anything in the world. It made her feet hurt, it made her tired, it made her sweat, it rarely got her anywhere she wanted to go… And it made her feet hurt. The only thing she liked about it was the fact that it gave her time to just think and let her mind wander to things that needed to be mulled over. She especially liked it when she was walking through the woods that surrounded Mystic Falls, one of the few attractive things about the little town. The forest was beautiful to her. The incredibly tall trees, the lush green moss that coated them, the clean smell that hung in the air, the way the sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves. It was so peaceful and-

She stepped into a hole, her ankle bending and bringing her down to the ground in the most painful of ways. However, a hand on her arm kept her from hitting the ground at full force, the heels of her hands being saved from skidding across the forest floor. It was only a twisted ankle and jean covered knees that hit the rough ground that caused her any pain. She took in a deep breath as she let the hand right her until she was standing. Once she was, she swiped at her dirt covered knees and cursed at her shoes. High heels.

"Next time we go for a trek through the woods, you are going to vamp to my house and get me a good pair of shoes," she snapped at him as she continued walking without looking back at him. "Or tell you to toddle off and do this kind of work by yourself,"

A snort of amusement sounded behind her. It made her want to slap the smirk she knew was currently on his face right off. This was one thing about Niklaus that she found truly interesting. No matter how horrible and evil people saw him as or even as horrible and evil as he could be, she got to see other parts. Where she should have hated him for the things he'd done, as everyone else hated him, she didn't. And where he might have seen her as a weakling despite being a Mesmer or even seeing her as something to be used as most other people saw her, he treated her with respect. They treated each other as equals for the most part. They knew each other in a way that others didn't seem to understand. They had what some might call a friendship and what others might call a destructive partnership. Either way sounded like the wrong way to describe them… Niklaus was not the most simple of people to understand which was why she was sure that she was one of the few people that somewhat understood him, let alone liked him.

"Just because you've been walking in forest like this for over a millennia doesn't mean you get to laugh at me," she tossed back at him without looking back at him. "So stop laughing and hurry up,"

"You're an interesting woman, Bae," he commented, forcing her to stop and look back at him in surprise. He continued walking nonchalantly, that smirk still on her face as he walked past her like he'd said nothing. "Don't get me wrong, I've met many women in my life and I've heard these worlds before… but you are the only person not ignorant of my power over you and has attempted to order me around,"

It was her turn to snort. "Your power over _me_?"

She raised her hand, feeling the power coursing through her entire body until it ran down her arm like a shot of electricity. And suddenly she could feel Niklaus's body, feel the control she hand on him, feel the tension in his muscles as he realized what she'd done to him. It made her smile, knowing the power she had over him, how angry he was and that he couldn't do anything about it. How many people had he killed for merely the slightest mistreatment and yet she could do this to him with barely any repercussions? He couldn't hurt her… However, she made no mistake in daring to think he _wouldn't _hurt her. She didn't dare put herself on such a pedestal. She wasn't stupid. If she became less than a chess piece to him, he would kill her.

But for now, she'd play.

With a twirl of a finger he turned to face her, his face set in a rag filled glare. It made her smile happily as she took animated steps towards him. Though she couldn't control him in the way vampires controlled their victims and even if she couldn't control the fight he tried to put up, she could still feel every inch of him. She could feel his muscles and force him to turn against his will. As she this way and that, she could feel the tension in his arms release to follow her commands as if they were her own arms that she was holding out at her sides.

"_Bae_,"

"Sometimes I wonder," she began, taking slow steps toward him with a soft smile. "Is the way you feel when you kill someone the same way I feel when I take control of another's body? Do you feel the same rush of power and sense of indestructibility that I do?"

Niklaus smiled at her with interest, watching her approach. "Perhaps… But you'd think you would have gotten used to it by now, little Bae,"

She laughed. "Does the thrill of the kill fade for you?"

This only earned her a deadly smile which was all the answer she needed it.

"And besides, I haven't exactly worn out my gift," she told him, watching with interest as she lowered his arms and forced him to walk backwards until he was against a tree. "A Mesmer received their gifts at puberty; I was a late bloomer. A Mesmer, though they are taught how to use their powers, is sheltered from most of the outside world. It's considered rude to use your gifts on another Mesmer so I didn't exactly have much practice with it. It's not as if Mesmers can go around using their gift and not expect their victim to notice… we aren't vampires who can force people to forget,"

"A pity," he murmured, fighting her control so he could lean his head forward, his breath touching her face.

She took a started step back and let him go, continuing past him. "Come on, Niklaus. We need to get moving,"

They walked in silence for another half hour, leaving her to become very cranky in her own head. It was more than tiring to walk places on foot when it was a place that _you_ wanted to go. But this was against her will, uphill, in a forest, in the middle of a hot summer day, with no music! At the very least she could have been wearing sensible shoes but instead she was wearing high heels. And worse, she couldn't just walk barefoot because of the twigs and other sharp things on the ground.

"Why did you leave?"

She frowned, stopping go lean back against a tree, her hands on her bent knees. "What are you taking about?"

"You most likely had a home, a family once," he continued, stopping a few yards from her. "Why did you leave?"

She blew out a long breath ignoring the thrumming in her feet. "It's simple really,"

When she didn't say anything more, Niklaus walked up to her, crouching down to look up into her face. "Then why don't you tell it to me?"

She glared at him, straightening so that she could slip down to sit on the crowd, ignoring the cold of the dirt beneath her butt. "I couldn't handle it anymore…" she said with a shrug, watching as Niklaus sat down as well. "My family- Being a Mesmer means that you are born that way and you get born into the worst of old fashioned family traditions… Normal families don't see each other except for funerals and Christmas while mine got together with other Mesmer families to take a head count and to marry off whoever was left alive,"

She didn't look at him, just continued to stare at the ground, digging her fingers into the cool dirt, bringing up the delicious scent of fall and rain. It was a long time until fall came around but she couldn't help but think of fallen leaves and pumpkins when the scent filled her nose. It was better than thinking of her parents that she hadn't seen in more than five years.

"There was no way that I was going to stay and have my parents do the age old tradition of marrying me to a boy from another family that our family had married into timeless times before. It was sickening! It's something you read in old harlequin novels or history books about arranged marriages!" she exclaimed, digging her fingers into the dirt violently until her fingertips ached. "I wasn't the first Mesmer to be so disgusted by our traditions to leave home. My own brother crawled out of my window to scale down the side of the house in the middle of the night when I was eight. However- like my brother- most don't make it out in the world for more than a few months before other supernatural kill them,"

"But that didn't keep you from getting into your car and leaving your family?"

"No. I packed up what I needed and left," she breathed, glancing up into the blue of his eyes before she looked away again. Wiping her hands against her jeans to get the dirt off, looking up at him again with a glare that wasn't meant for him. "I am a Mesmer. I am able to control another person's body with a flick of my wrist. I am powerful and I wasn't going to squander it and be a brood mare for my family. I wanted to _live_,"

That earned her a smile. "And you came to Mystic Falls for that?"

She couldn't help but snort at the thought he suggested. "Don't think that I'm an idiot. Every other supernatural being knows that Mystical Falls is the hub for just about everything that goes bump in the night, whether it's been quiet for the past century or not. No one would think to step foot in the town nor think me crazy enough to hide there,"

This turned his smile into a full out grin, as if she'd gone from a bug beneath his boot into an interesting creature to observe in a jar he held. "Clever girl,"

She smiled at him, bowing her head. "Thank you," With that, she stood in a graceful move that was pure luck before she looked down at him with a tight smile. "Shall we continue?"


	4. Niklaus

**Niklaus.**

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"_Niklaus!_"

The thousand year old vampire frowned as he looked down at the woman sitting beside him at the bar. She might have seemed like the average American young adult to anyone outside of Mystic Falls, possibly even to a few of the blind local, but she was special. The dark hair, pale skin and hazel eyes hid something less than innocent and more than powerful.

The Mesmer had taught him that he wasn't as untouchable as he had once thought. With her ability to control another's body with a flick of her wrist, he had been put in his place a time or two. The temptation to kill her had been overwhelming at first. Something so powerful opposing him could be dangerous for his future… but she'd been interesting. She'd been like one of the bugs he'd observed as a child that had skittered from him. She'd been interesting and fearless when she'd faced him.

He'd respected that and had only regretted letting her live twice so far.

"Are you even listening to me?" she frowned, putting down her class to turn on her stool, looking him dead in the eyes.

His frown deepened as he turned to look into his glass. Most of the amber liquid still rested at the bottle of it, he hadn't even taken a sip since she'd sat down beside him a half hour ago. She'd come in to tell him something important about something important. He'd stopped listening twenty-nine minutes ago to fall into his thoughts.

"Niklaus!" she whined.

"Why do you call me that?"

It was her turn to frown, her head tilting to the right in a wolf-like action he could appreciate, her hair slipping from her shoulder in a curtain of waves. "Call you what?"

"Niklaus,"

She snorted in the most unladylike way and said; "I'm sorry. I was under the impression that it was your name,"

"It is,"

"Hmm," She pretended to think on this before turning her eyes back to his. "And?"

"Why do you call me Niklaus?" he asked again, putting the glass down.

"I think you can answer that yourself," she said, pointing at him with a finger before downing the rest of her drink.

He frowned again, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Why?"

She rolled her eyes, pushing away her glass with a huff. She turned towards him on her stool, placing her hands on her knees as she looked him in the eye. She seemed to be waiting for him so he removed his elbows from the bar and turned to look at her with an intense stare that would have crippled most others. She just gave him an even look and spoke.

"Who calls you Klaus?"

"Those who know me," he answered.

"And who calls you Nik?"

"No one who wants to live-"

"And your sister," she added in with an annoyed look. "Rebekah…"

He frowned, looking away from her uncomfortably.

"Your little sister, who you love, calls you Nik,"

"So?"

"And who calls you Niklaus?"

He frowned at her, horrid memories coming to mind. "It was the name my father gave me,"

"And so it is the name that I shall rebirth," she told him with a simple smile. "You might not like the name but I refuse to call you what _everyone else_ calls you, nor will I call you the name you have allowed the one person you love to call you… So I will win back the name Niklaus from you father and replace your memories of hate and loneliness with ones of me,"

Klaus looked over at her with a thoughtful look, taking her in. Despite her wit, beauty, power and obvious tact… he found her intelligent, even if she hadn't chosen his side yet.


	5. Painting

**Painting.**

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"_And where have you wandered off to?_"

Niklaus stood at the door of his study where he kept most of his works. At the sound of his voice Bae spun around with her hands behind her back, looking guilty of something or other. The look made Niklaus smile as he approached the brunette, watching an appetizing flush warm her cheeks as he drew closer to her. Behind her were several paintings leaned up against each other, some of his sketches laying to her left on one of his tables, his work bench to her right.

"Haven't you ever heard the phrase, curiosity killed the cat?"

"No?"

The two smiled at each other as he stepped closer to her, reaching around her to find one of his sketches in her hand. It was a sketch he'd done a long time ago of an elderly couple sitting on a bench looking positively happy with each other. It had been just after the Industrial Revolution and he still hadn't gotten used to the smell yet, the air just beginning to darken from the pollution.

"Do you paint?"

"Maybe," she smiled mischievously, her eyes still on the sketch. "But mostly I admire,"

"And why would you admire when you could create?"

She scrunched her nose, looking up at him. "Because I paint something that I love and then turn around to find an artist who has twice the skill that I do,"

Niklaus sighed, place the sketch back on the table. "It is not about the skill, Bae, it's about the story that you tell, the message,"

She snorted. "I'd be afraid of what story I'd tell about myself,"

"Oh?"

"Every piece that an artist makes reveals something about them even if it's just a sketch of an elderly couple sitting on a bench," she told him, turning to look down at the sketch instead of him.

"And what does my art tell about me?"

This caused Bae to outright laugh, smiling over at him. "You don't want to know, Hybrid,"

"Try me,"

She rolled her eyes at him, looking as if she wasn't going to take him serious. But then her eyes met his and her expression sobered. With a sigh she looked around the study at the paintings that hung on the walls or leaned against each other to her right, before stopping at the sketch. He watched her as she thought her answer to him, suspense growing as he waited for her to speak, nervous sparks running up his spine as he wondered what she would reveal about him.

"You're alone… lonely…" she began, making his body stiffen and his eyes go hard, already regretting his wish for her to tell him what she saw. "You want to be loved and to belong somewhere or with someone," She fingered the corner of the sketch before she pushed off the table to look around at the paintings that surrounded her. "You wish you could control your demons instead of having your demons control you," She looked at another painting her hand closing on her opposite wrist as if to protect it from what she saw. "You don't feel safe… and don't know what to do about it,"

She turned to look at him, finding a pained looking Niklaus, forcing away emotions and memories that he wished he never had to begin with. He knew it scared her to see him like this, afraid that he would hurt her for revealing this about him, but he'd never hurt her.

"Or maybe I'm an overzealous watcher of _Criminal Minds_,"

"No," he breathed, taking a in a deep breath. "I think you were probably right the first time,"

Bae frowned at him, turning away to make a bee line for the liquor, pouring them both a drink before handing one to him. "Did you know that European cultures drink with meals, not just to get drunk and drown their sorrows?"

Niklaus smiled, lifting the glass towards his mouth. "Maybe they have it wrong,"


	6. Paintbrush

**Paintbrush.**

* * *

Bae woke up slowly, groggily turning in place to not roll off her uncomfortable little twin sized bed and onto her bedroom floor. But something was wrong… she couldn't hear her mother and father screeching at each other or the eerie silence when they weren't arguing. All she could hear was the sound of a car driving past her house down on the street and the sound of soft music coming from her alarm clock.

A suddenly feeling of anxiety had her shooting up out of bed, her eyes wide as she tried to take in as much of the room around her as possible. But she needn't have been so scared. She almost laughed at herself when she realized that she was in her new bedroom, the one that she'd had for more than a month now. This was her was her home. Her new home.

She flopped back down with a happy sigh, choosing to sleep for another hour before getting up to take a shower. She quickly changed and made her way to the dining room, a room she'd repurposed for her love of painting rather than for her love of eating. She'd had a shock of inspiration while in the shower and since today was her day off from her little job at the Mystic Grill and she had no other plans, she could paint as much as she wanted.

It was a few hours before she heard the door get flung open and footsteps make their way through the house towards her. She didn't look up however. She knew who it was even without looking up, nor did she have a fear of this trespasser hurting her if it wasn't who she expected. She could simply force them back outside with a wave of her hand if she chose.

"Hello, Bae. I was-"

"Shh!" Bae snapped, holding up her paintbrush in the form of a finger. "I'm busy, Niklaus,"

She could almost hear the smirk in his voice as she returned to painting. "I can see that,"

"Then you know to not disturb me. Go away,"

"How unfortunate," he sighed walking up behind her. "Because I love to watch,"

The brush stilled in her hand at his comment, causing her to turn around to glare up into his smug face. "What is it that you want, Niklaus?"

"Oh, nothing," he sighed, sitting down in the lone chair that wasn't full of boxes full of painting supplies or painted canvases. "I was simply in the neighborhood,"

"Oh really?" she snorted turning back to her painting. "With no intention to ask me for something? Or to ask a question? Not even to bother me out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Nothing of the sort, love," he grinned from his seat, leaning back comfortably. "Just came by to check up on a friend,"

"_Right_…" Bae nodded, lifting her paintbrush to approach him. "And I am an Original,"

Niklaus smiled.

"What do you want?"

"A favor for a friend,"

"For a friend," she repeated. "_Right_,"

"Come now, love. You can't resist me forever,"

Bae smiled stopping directly in front of him. "Of course I can,"

Before Niklaus could react, the brush had been brought down on his nose and part of his mouth, leaving behind a thick streak of olive green. He seemed honestly shocked for a long moment while Bae stood smiling, looking like a child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar; in deep trouble but too happy to care. In an instant Niklaus was up, her paintbrush trading hands to paint a lovely smudge across her top lip.

Bae shrieked, wiping desperately at her lip as she grabbed at the brush that Niklaus kept from her grasp. In a last ditch effort, she wrapped an arm around his shoulder to give her enough leverage to climb up his body and reach the brush. This didn't work and only left them face to face, bodies pressed against each other.

Bae didn't seem bother by their position whilst Niklaus seemed a little dazed as he looked her in the eye, his arm dipping down until she could take the brush back. She did, swiping it across his long sleeve cotton shirt as she walked away from him, taking advantage of his shock. When she turned back he was frowning down at the stain, leaving her to laugh at him.

"How about asking me for favors, you help me clean up?"


	7. Contradiction

**Contradiction.**

* * *

"You do realize that you're a contradiction, right?"

Niklaus looked across the small table to meet the brunette's eyes. She currently had a large mouthful of lettuce drenched in ranch dressing hanging on her fork, ready to be put into her mouth. But instead she was studying him like an interesting bug beneath a microscope. The look amused him considering that most of what came out of her mouth when this expression occurred surprised and amused him on most days.

"How so?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink.

She put down the fork with her mouthful, leaning back into her seat. "Werewolves are about instinct and reactions… they don't have control when they are forced to shift to an animal of instinct every full moon. While vampires on the other hand are creatures of control and micromanagement,"

"Vampires can still fall victim to their instincts, Bae," he pointed out to her, tipping his cup toward her.

"Yes, but there is always a level of control about them," she argued, leaning forward against as her words became rushed with her need to get them out. "They can control whether they have their emotions or not. They can control other people with their compulsion. They can even control whether someone lives or dies," She suddenly smiled, point at him with the fork with what was left of the bite that had fallen off of it. "You, Niklaus, are a contradiction and it makes me wonder how many of your contradictions you hide,"

Happily, she ate the bite.

"And can't you say the same of yourself?" Niklaus tossed back.

She frowned, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You are the epitome of a control freak, Bae," Niklaus stated with an amused smile. "You paint and painting is the very metaphor for control. Every choice is yours; the canvas, the color, the subject, the style. Even your very gifts that make you what you are is all about the ability to control and manipulate,"

"Thanks…?" she replied, sounding more like a question. "But where is the contradiction?"

"You love," he stated happily, gesturing to her with his nearly empty cup. "You love which takes control out of your hands. You no longer have control of your feelings or actions, you can't control the person you love or else lose them, you can't control whether they love you back. You have to trust,"

"I don't trust easily," she argued.

"That's what you'd like to believe," he grinned at her over the lip of drink as he leaned back comfortably in his seat. "But you trust me,"

Bae rolled her eyes at him. "That's what you think,"

"That's what I know,"


	8. Burned

**Burned.**

* * *

"_FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUDGE!_"

She gripped her own hand, cradling it against her chest in an attempt to not allow anything to touch it. Raw, stiff, mind numbing pain was running up her arm as it felt like the skin of her hand was trying to clench in on itself. It was beyond painful but even as she felt hot tears running down her face, hand clutched to her chest, she knew it had been her fault. She'd been so caught up in multitasking that she forgot that wearing an ovenmit was how you were supposed to take hot pans of cookies out of the oven.

"Fudging shitake mushrooms and ducking glass moles! Kriffing jabberwockies and ransacking villages! _FUDGE!_" she shrieked, stomping her foot so hard that her bone ached. "I hate cookies! I kriffing hate cookies! Fudging stupid ovens! _FUDGE!_"

"_Interesting word choice, love_,"

"GO AWAY!" she shouted, sudden rage building in her chest. She knew it was fueled by the pain in her hand, the smugness in his voice and her frustration with herself but she just couldn't help it. She didn't dare to turn and look at him, just kicked the oven door shut so forcefully that it bounced back open. Of course this resulted in her kicking it a few more times before she was finally satisfied that the door was dead and not going to point open on her. It also resulted in her foot being in pain.

Finally at the end of her rope, she slipped to the ground, her back pinching against the notches in the cabinet doors. It only caused the tears that had built up to overflow and fall down her cheeks. It felt like the longer she sat there with her burned hand, the more it hurt.

"Bae,"

"Go away," she sniffed, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"I can help y-"

"I'm in pain, you asshole!" she shrieked at him, meeting his eyes angrily. "Shut up!"

He frowned at her, his face becoming stoic as he reached over her, pulling the sprayer from the sink. Before she could connect the dots, the sprayer was on and aimed down at her.

"_Nik!_" she shrieked, freezing water hitting her full in the chest and running down her chest to gather in a pool at her crotch. She tried desperately to scoot out of the spray while keeping her hand against her chest but the freezing water just kept following her. "Stop! What the hell?! It's freezing! Stop it! Niklaus! Stop it! _Nik!_"

The torture stopped a moment later, leaving her gasping on the floor with her hand still against her chest though it hurt significantly less… or at least it had been hurting a lot less. This time it was her annoyance that was the main fuel for the glare that she aimed at him instead of her pain. She was shivering, in pain and annoyed out of her mind and all he could do was smirk.

"What. The. _Hell?!_"

He slowly came to crouch down in front of her, his face cold. "I'm sorry, love. Did you want me to leave?"

"You're an ass,"

"Does your hand still hurt?"

"Are you proving my point that you're an ass?" she spat at him, on the verge of tears caused by frustration and pain. "Are you going to help me?"

"I've tried,"

"I just need someone to take the cookies out of the oven," she told him, gesturing to the traitorous oven with her chin. "I don't want to get near that thing but the cookies will burn if I leave them in there,"

Niklaus rolled his eyes at her, looking as if he were bothered by the mere thought of having to perform such a menial task. However, he put on the ovenmit that still sat on the kitchen counter and opened the oven, pulling out the sheet to lay it on top of the stove. Once that was done, he tossed the ovenmit away and crouched down beside her again.

"Anything else?"

"Ice,"

"Yes, milady,"


	9. Vampire

**Vampire.**

* * *

"You have the right temperament for a vampire,"

Bae opened her eyes and glanced over at Niklaus, who was sitting beside her, his eyes on the road as he drove.

"And why's that?" she asked, playing along with him. "I'm high manipulative, controlling, blood thirsty and power hungry?"

"Not power hungry,"

Bae gasped jokingly, giving him a mock glare. "How rude,"

He simply chuckled at her.

"I probably would not make a good vampire," she argued, turning to look out the window at the world flashing past her. "I would rather be alive than undead… not have to worry whether I was wearing a daylight ring or not… not have to wonder if someone wanted to back stab me… have the ability to turn everything off… And I would rather not kill for my lunch,"

"You'd adapt,"

Bae frowned. "That's what I'd be afraid of. And besides, I don't have good self-control nor would I want to give up being a Mesmer,"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't even keep myself from eating the last piece of cake-"

He rolled his eyes. "I meant about being a Mesmer,"

"If I become a vampire I would lose my powers,"

Niklaus smiled, leaning towards her. "How do you know if you've never tried it?"

"Because," she shrugged. "There have been Mesmers in the past who've tried it, vampires who've wanted Mesmers to be theirs for an eternity. Unfortunately, the vampire venom negates our powers. We just become normal everyday vampires,"

Niklaus seemed to think about this as he turned his eyes back to the road.

"All magic comes with a price," she told him. "For Mesmers and witches, you simply switch,"

"And that would take away a Mesmer's powers?" he asked her curiously.

Bae frowned. "Yes… there are only three ways to destroy a Mesmer," She held up a finger. "One, you kill them," Another finger. "Two, you turn them into vampire," A third finger. "And three- the least deadly of the three- you destroy them the same way you destroy an artist,"

"And how is that?"

"Cut off their hands,"

Niklaus frowned in disgust.

"Many of the Mesmer bedtime stories end with a Mesmer getting their hands cut off, probably the same way little witches get told about the Salem Witch Trials,"

"Cutting off your hands would remove your power?" Niklaus asked, glancing down at her hands which lay on her lap.

Bae shifted uncomfortably, clasping her hands together. "Without a way to channel our powers, we are left with nothing," Before Niklaus could say anything else, she interrupted him. "And if you dare to remove my hands from my wrists I will have you remove your own head from your shoulders. Understand me, Niklaus?"

The Original snorted. "If I wanted to make you powerless I could surely think of a less painful way than severing your hands from your arms,"

She glared over at him, feeling uncomfortable with the direction that they conversation had taken. "And you could probably think of a _more_ painful way as well,"

"Oh, Bae," he sighed, looking over at her with a smile. "Don't you trust me?"

"No,"

He grinned, looking back towards the rode. "Smart, girl,"


	10. Towel

**Towel.**

* * *

After a long shower, Bae stepped out of the stall and wrapped herself up in a towel. She walked out into her bedroom to get dressed for a night spent with a cute blond local vampire that had taken her under her wing. She had just opened her closet door when her bedroom door suddenly opened with a bang as it hit the wall, Niklaus strutting in.

"Klaus!" she exclaimed, clutching the towel close to her chest. "Towel! Knock!"

He looked over at her as if he were surprised, turning a smirk on her as he looked her up and down slowly. She gaped at him, shocked that he would be so ungentlemanly in this moment when he'd been nothing but kind to her before (besides his first attack on her). She frowned at him, waiting for him to turn away from her but he just smiled at her.

"Don't be angry, love," he told her with a smile. "You're beautiful. You have nothing to hide,"

She stared at him, shocked. "Um… thanks?"

He smiled at her, smirking as if he knew something she didn'.t

"What's that look for?"

He just turned and walked out of her room. "Get dressed, love. I have a favor to ask,"

Bae glared at his back, begrudgingly pulling on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans before heading out the door, making sure to kick him in the butt before running past him to get into his car.


	11. Appendicitis

**Appendicitis.**

* * *

"I heard you tripped while walking and chewing gum…"

Bae looked up to see Niklaus standing in the doorway of her hospital room. His typical smirk was on his face but his eyes still managed to betray the hint of concern for her. She smiled at him regardless of his joke or the pain it caused in her lip, opening the scab and allowing blood to pool. She knew what he was seeing too… she'd been beaten to Hell and back; the split lip, the black eye, the splint on her arm. It all had nothing to do with the reason she was in the hospital in all actuality. At the excruciating pain in her side she'd had for more than twelve hours, she'd gone to the hospital and found out she'd need to have her appendix removed.

"Since when do you visit lowly humans in the hospital?" she asked, her voice sounding groggy as she watched him saunter up to the side of her bed, his hands clasped behind his back. "And without any chocolates or flowers…"

"You are no mere human, Bae,"

She gave him a look but he simply shrugged.

"I was in the neighborhood,"

Right then a young nurse walked in- beach bottle blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail, average height, thinner than a pencil- not paying much attention until her eyes caught on Niklaus. She stopped and stared at the handsome man before she dropped her eyes as a blush spread across her cheeks. She kept her eyes down and quickly went to her side, going about her work, checking the machines, tubes and various other things. Once she was done with that she went to the end of the hospital bed and looked over her chart, discretely glancing up at Niklaus again. When she realized that Niklaus was looking at her she ducked her head and finished writing before she ran out of the room.

Bae watched as Niklaus chuckled to himself before turning his attention back to her. "You know, if you drank my blood you'd be able to walk out of here as soon as you finish the release forms," he commented nonchalantly.

She gave him a lazy smile as she turned her head from side to side, a lazy shake of her head that was supposed to be no. "I can't, Niklaus,"

"And why not?" he asked with interest.

"Because Mesmers are allergic to vampire blood," she told him matter-of-factly as her eyes started to drift shut again. "I'd be sick for days until it was out of my system,"

He frowned down at her, reaching out to touch her cheek. "A pity. You seem so pitiful like this. I like you better when your firing on all cylinders,"

"So do I," she chuckled, sighing as his hand ghosted over her neck.

He chuckled at her before he sat down in the uncomfortable chair sat beside her bed so that he was looking up at her. "Get better soon then,"

She gave a tired nod before her eyes finally closed and she drifted to sleep.


	12. Milkshakes

**Milkshakes.**

* * *

A chocolate milkshake was placed between them but neither moved to take it.

"Don't you want it?"

"Didn't you buy it?"

"I bought it for you,"

"I didn't ask you to,"

"You should take it,"

"I don't want it,"

"Why?"

"I don't like chocolate milkshakes,"

Niklaus stared at her for a moment in surprise. "You don't like chocolate?"

"Oh, no," she snorted, holding up a finger. "I _love_ chocolate. I don't like chocolate milkshakes,"

"And what kind _do_ you enjoy?"

"Wild berry," she told him.

He raised his hand to call the waiter again but Bae quickly threw herself across the table to push his hand back down. He gave her a shocked look as her face lit up a bright red as people around the Mystic Grill turned to look. She slowly let go of his hand and slipped back into her seat, looking down into her lap uncomfortably.

"I didn't say I wanted it,"

"I didn't say I was giving you a choice,"

She glared at him. "I won't drink it,"

"Then it will sit untouched next to this chocolate milkshake until we've finished our business,"

"You're not going to eat the chocolate shake?"

"I don't like chocolate,"

Bae stared. "What?"

"I don't-"

"I heard you," she interrupted, holding a hand up to stop him. "How can you not like chocolate?"

"How can you not like chocolate milkshakes?"

"I would assume in the same way that you don't like chocolate,"

Niklaus smirked across the table at her while she frowned at him, calling for the waiter herself to order a wild berry milkshake. He raised an eyebrow at her as the waiter walked away.

"You're drinking this with me," she told him.

He sighed heavily as if it was the worst thing in the world. She just smiled.

"The big bad Hybrid is going to eat a milkshake,"

"_Bae_,"


	13. Birthdays

**Birthdays.**

* * *

Bae walked through her door with a sigh, kicking the door closed with her heel before walking through the living room. She dropped off her purse and kicked off her shoes as she walked, entering the kitchen where she set down the two take out containers. She then stripped off her jacket, peeled off her stained Mystic Grill uniform until she stood in nothing but her underwear and bra. She was too tired to travel up to her bedroom to put on her pajamas to walk back down to eat when she was by herself anyway.

She flipped open the lid of her to-go container that held her dinner, putting it into the microwave to heat it back up. While that was warming she walked over to bookshelf in her living room, reaching up on her tiptoes until she was able to pull down a wooden box. She opened it to reveal an older looking cellphone, a Spider-Man sticker having almost completely peeled off of the front. She pulled it out with a frown, hesitantly turning it on.

The sound of her food having finished heating brought her back into the kitchen, setting down the phone as she took her pasta out of the microwave. She set it down on the counter, slamming the door shut as she grabbed a fork to pick through the pasta. She inhaled the first few bites before she started to actually taste what she was shoveling into her mouth. It had separated a little and it wasn't as good as the past usually was at the Mystic Grill. But it was food and she was too tired to take the time to make herself anything else. It would have to do.

Bae glanced at the phone as it vibrated; registering that it had a message.

She set down her fork and picked up the phone, flipping it open.

_**Blank Messge.**_

It felt like a weight settled in on her chest as she turned the phone back off and tossed it back into the box.

"If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound if there's no one there to hear it?"

With warm eyes, Bae shut the to-go container to pull the second one forward, a smaller cube of a box. She flipped open the lid to stare dejectedly down at the vanilla cupcake that sat inside. A thin candle appeared from one of her junk drawers that she pushed into the frosting. With a sigh she crossed her arms on the container, leaning down until her chin touched her arms, her eyes staring at the flameless candle with something less than enthusiasm.

"Is it really a birthday if there is no one there to celebrate it?"

She left everything where it was, trudging upstairs for a hot shower before she went to bed.

When she woke up the next morning she had planned on sleeping the day away instead of going out and being productive. Even the thought of painting didn't entice her from her bed. The heavy weight on her chest had lifted since she'd looked at the cell phone, the one that had told her that her family didn't think of her.

Bae frowned, curling up around her pillow.

Sitting on her nightstand was a long black box with an elegant looking bow tied around the center of it. The sight of it brought her into a sitting position, reaching out to take the box into her hand, tugging at the little card tucked under the bow.

_**From Niklaus.**_

Curiosity struck as she held the black velvet jewelry box in her hand, her eyes turning to the white ribbon that tied the box closed. She pulled at one of the silk ends and let the ribbon fall into her lap before she flipped up the lid. Before her lay a curled up piece of expensive sketching paper that had been wrapped around a bracelet that was pinned down at either end. It looked more expensive that her car so she ignored it, thankful he gave it to her but nervous of the cost, not to mention the very idea of possibly wearing it (and losing it). So instead she looked to the rolled up sketch paper, gently pulling it out from around the bracelet.

The sketches that adorned the piece of sketch paper were all of her. One was of her from the side, standing at an invisible table taking an order. She wore a Mystic Grill t-shirt, a pair of skinny jeans, Converse and an apron. She had her hip cocked with a smile on her face while wisps of her hair hung in her face. Another was of her face, it was of her with her beany on, most of her mane hidden beneath the knit material, her eyes downcast as if she were looking up at him shyly. Another was of her laughing, one of her big laughs if she knew her own face at all. Then there was a sketch of her hands near the bottom of the paper, chipped nail polish and a ring on her middle finger.

Bae smiled, looking into the bottom right hand corner of the paper.

_**Happy Birthday, Bae.**_

Tears came to Bae's eyes as she looked down at the handwriting, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.


	14. Parents

**Parents.**

* * *

"What were your parents like?"

Niklaus frowned down at his meal, suddenly not feeling the need to eat the fries sitting beside his mostly eaten burger.

"That bad?"

He raised an eyebrow as he lifted his eyes to her hazel-blue ones.

She shrugged, leaning back in her seat as she sucked raspberry-lemonade up her straw. She set the glass down on the table with a loud clank. "You don't talk about your parents to me… and from what I hear from my few and far between sources; you and your father were like oil and water,"

"More like gunpowder and a lit match," he told her, leaning back in a relaxed position that in no way mirrored how he truly felt. "I being the gunpowder, powerful but dormant. He was a lit match, burning on the hatred of me even before he knew that I was not his and wanting to kill me with it,"

Bae watched him with a nonchalance that neither truly felt but he was determined to match.

"When I was young I looked for my father's approval in any way I could. I was only rewarded with his hate of me, being beaten here and berated there. Then when I was created into a vampire and it became clear that I was not my father's son, his hate became absolute. Not only was I his least favorite, an embarrassment, but I was a bastard child by my mother and another man,"

"Born a werewolf, created a vampire," Bae recited as she'd heard it a dozen times. "A Hybrid,"

Niklaus nodded. "Mikael hunted Elijah, Rebekah and I for nearly a thousand years until a Bennett witch entombed him,"

"And your mother?"

Niklaus frowned, trying not to think about the woman. "Dead,"

Bae sighed, leaning forward to place her chin on her crossed arms, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "I'm sorry,"

The words had an odd sound to them, causing a lightening in Niklaus's chest that he found not altogether uncomfortable.

"And your stepdad is a fucking asshole, by the way,"

That stole a laugh from Niklaus's throat. "Agreed, little Mesmer,"


	15. Hurt

**Hurt.**

* * *

Bae sat across from Niklaus at one of the many tables at the Mystic Grill. It had become their thing. They ate food together and talked during. But Niklaus had stayed surprisingly silent throughout the dinner, watching Bae.

She'd been staring at her food the entire time, pushing it around her plate a few times before finally taking a bite. She'd been thinking of how close she and Niklaus had gotten over the last few months of their friendship, and it made her miss an old friend.

"When I was a kid," she began, sitting up a little though she didn't look Niklaus in the eye, even as she heard his fork get set down on the side of his plate. "I didn't have a lot of friends. I was shy. I didn't talk a lot, just mostly kept to myself, read books, listened in on other people's conversations. I grew up as a polite kid who felt guilty for everything,"

She smiled, remembering when she would feel guilty for bringing up stories during conversations. She always thought that every word she said, every opinion she had, every question she had was a waste of other people's times. Even when she had her fallen down a flight of stairs at a friend's house she'd apologized for falling and twisting her ankle.

"But there was one person that made me feel less guilty," Bae began, smiling lightly down at her meal. "I had a friend named May… the best friend I've ever had. We used to have sleepovers, talk well into the night, rant at each other…"

Niklaus listened as Bae bowed her head towards her food, determined to say everything that she needed to say. She needed to talk about it.

"But then high school hit and we didn't really get to see each other much. She was busy with her friends and classes and extra stuff. I tried to keep up the friendship. Called her, texted her, asked to come over… It worked for a while until one day she came over and said she didn't want to be my friend anymore,"

Bae could still remember standing in her room in shock a good ten minutes after she'd left the house. Her mom had knocked on her door, asking what had happened until she'd finally given up and left Bae alone.

"She said I was annoying and pushy," she told her pasta, tears coming to her eyes as a chocked laugh left her mouth. "I never knew- well, I knew- but I never realized that it bothered her. I thought we were supposed to be friends who didn't judge, didn't lie to each other, who loved each other despite our flaws,"

A tightening in Bae's chest had her sitting down her fork, shoving away her plate as she sat back, a tear falling from her eye. She quickly wiped it away.

"I couldn't have laid into her about how many times she'd come to my house late, how we only ever talked about her problems, how I felt alone when I was locked up in my house, how I would have done anything for her. I couldn't have told her that for years I had feared that she never thought of me as her best friend and how I thought she'd been lying to me anyway. How could I have been her best friend if she never made an effort for anything? I get that her parents were stiffs but…"

Bae raised her eyes to meet his, seeing the sympathy in them.

"I loved her like a sister… but she hated me like an annoying pet that just won't die,"

Niklaus leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. "She hurt you, Bae, and for that I am eternally sorry,"

Bae sniffled, wiping away the tears that had fallen and hating them.


	16. Names

**Names.**

* * *

"_Niklaus_,"

Bae had been painting for hours now and had only recently glanced up from her work to check on the Hybrid in her house. Since he'd come over he'd been sitting on her favorite recliner with his sketch book, sketching contently as she painted. However, as she looked up, she found him in the dining room with her, standing over the pile of her paintings, sifting silently through them.

He looked up at her innocently, an eyebrow raised. "Yes, love?"

"Stay out of there,"

"I was simply admiring," he told her, looking back down at the pile. "I was also interested in the signatures you put on your work,"

She peaked back around her easel to give him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Well," he began, lifting one of her smallest paintings from the pile. It was a stylized painting of a face; half beautiful and happy with the other half was almost completely place except for the red pained eye and the singular trail of tears. "Your signature is this elegant mix of a B and two Ms. I was curious as to what that stands for,"

"My name," she told him with a smile as she returned to her current painting. "Isn't that how signatures work?"

"And what is your name?"

Bae sighed, moving the brush a bit more lazily. "Bae Magdalene Marlow. My middle name was for a great, great, great, great, great and a few more greats grandmother that my parents were very proud to be related to. I like to pretend that my middle name doesn't exist but I've had that particular signature since I was young. Why get rid of it now?"

Niklaus hummed to himself in agreement. "Yes, but I think you're lying?"

"Lying?" she asked, her brush growing still as she stared at the canvas.

"I don't think Bae is your real name,"

"And what would my real name be?" she asked, putting the paintbrush down.

"I wouldn't know," he sighed as he set down the painting, approaching her like a predator. "But I would wager that Bae is not your given name. I think Bae is a name you gave yourself when you left your home. Created a new identity as it were,"

Bae kept her eyes from Niklaus's, even when he stood just at her shoulder, looking down at her with interest.

"I would know better than most that some people prefer to leave names behind and forgotten,"

Bae looked away from him. She knew he was waiting for her to tell him but she couldn't make the cursed name bubble up out of her mouth. She wasn't sure that she wanted it to.

"Come, dear Bae," he cooed to her. "What is your given name?"

Bae frowned, lifting her eyes to his. "Belinda… but if you call me tha-"

"Shh," he held up a finger, silencing her words. "Bae suits you better,"


	17. Crying

**Crying.**

* * *

"Bae?"

The covers of her bed went flying up covering her from head to toe until Niklaus couldn't even see the top of her dark head. But he could still smell the unmistakable salt water in the air, along with hear sniffling coming from beneath her comforter.

"Yeah?"

Niklaus turned the lights on though it didn't affect his ability to see her much. He slowly walked into the room and around the bed until he stood beside her, looking down at the mound of comforter where he though her head to be.

"Who's hurt you, little Mesmer?"

"I'm fine," she told him, her voice breaking in the middle. "I just have something in my eye,"

He frowned down at her, uncomfortable with this crying version of the woman he knew so well, the strong woman who had faced him down when they'd first met, the woman who had helped him face down his own father and allowed him to win. He didn't enjoy with vulnerable side to his Mesmer.

"Do you wish to talk about it?"

He heard more sniffling.

"No," she gasped, her voice breaking as she started crying again. "Just go away, Niklaus!"

He frowned down at her, watching as she sobbed pitifully into her pillow, broken sobs shaking the bed. Eventually, he carefully sat down on the bed beside her, placing a hand on her back to try to comfort her. It took at least ten minutes before the crying died down, the sobs becoming less and less often until he almost thought she'd suffocated beneath the blanket. However, she slowly sat up, keeping the blanket over her face as she sat next to him, a tissue being pulled from an invisible box.

"Tell me who has hurt you, Bae,"

After some more sniffling, Bae finally answered; "My parents aren't the best people… everything they did was based on traditions from the Old Family. They hated my brother and I for straying so far from the ways of the Mesmers… they didn't understand,"

The sound of another tissue being pulled from a box issued from beneath the comforter.

"But, despite everything… I still manage to miss them,"

Niklaus sighed, hushing her when she started to sob again. He pulled her into his shoulder, placing his chin on top of her head as he held her.


	18. Theft

**Theft.**

* * *

Several hours ago, Niklaus had pulled up in front of Bae's house to find that the front door had been left ajar. Once inside he'd found a great many of her things missing or destroyed. The TVs were absent from the room along with the X-Box, the jewelry, the computer, and even a few of the more expensive painting equipment from Bae's dining room. She'd arrived a few minutes later, shocked at the state of her house before she'd called the police. They'd talked to the police before Niklaus had gone up to her room to pack a bag for her to come stay with him. He'd been halfway through her drawers when his body had frozen in place.

"What are you doing?"

"You are staying with me," he answered her, his hand clenching around the handle of the duffel bag with annoyance. "Clearly it isn't safe in your own home, Bae. I'll have the locks changed and an alarm installed in your house by the end of the week. Until then, you will be staying with me,"

"My things aren't safe, however I am perfectly safe," she told him, walking towards him until she was a hairs breath away, looking up into his face. "Unless you've forgotten why you currently stand unmoving right now,"

"I'm not leaving this house without you," he told her with complete assurance, his voice biting.

"Then I hope you don't mind sleeping in those clothes," she told him with a sarcastic smile as she walked back out of her room.


	19. Mikael

**Mikael.**

* * *

"Hello, Niklaus," the older man greeted from across the threshold as Niklaus cautiously walked up to meet him.

"Hello, Mikael," Niklaus greeted. "Won't you come in? Oh, that's right. You can't,"

"Or you can come outside if you want,"

"Or I can watch my Hybrids tear you limb from limb," Bae watched as Hybrids began to appear behind Mikael out on the lawn, leaving Niklaus smirked from his position of power.

"They can't kill me," Mikael stated.

"True," Niklaus nodded smugly. "But it would make for a hell of a party game. All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce,"

"The big bad wolf," Mikael snorted, not at all deterred. "You haven't changed, still hiding behind your playthings like a coward. Oh and you forget, they may be sired by you but their still part vampire and they can be compelled by me," Just then one of Niklaus's many Hybrids came into view, under the control of his father, who had Elena Gilbert firmly in hand.

Bae froze, looking between Niklaus and Elena. Even though Bae hadn't exactly been trying her hardest to stay out of supernatural business since she'd moved here, as was evident by the fact she was at a party celebrating the uniting of the Original family, she didn't like getting in the middle of supernatural spats. However, she didn't like the idea of a human dying at the hands of a man who'd been trying to kill his own son for the past millennia. It left her standing, wondering if she should step up and intervene.

"Come out and face me, Niklaus," Mikael smiled, watching his son's face twist. "Or she dies,"

Niklaus frowned unhappily before he spoke; "Go ahead. Kill her,"

"No, Klaus," Elena gasped from Mikael's hold. "He'll do it,"

"If she dies, this lot will be the last of your abominations," Mikael reminded.

"I don't need them," Niklaus spat at him. "I just need to be rid of you,"

"To what ends, Niklaus? So you can live forever with no one at your side? Nobody cares about you anymore, boy," Mikael spat, using the words he knew would hurt his son the most. Niklaus's face turned vacant as his words continued, his blue eyes watering. "Who do you have other than those whose loyalty you've forced? No o-"

"Someone," Bae stepped up beside Niklaus crossing her arms over her chest, defiantly glaring at the man that had caused her friend so much pain. "_Actually_,"

"And who might you be?" Mikael asked, seeming a mix of amused and surprised.

"Bae," she answered easily enough. "Mesmer and a _loyal_ friend to Niklaus,"

Mikael raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Mesmer? No one spoke to me of a Mesmer being in town or being under the control of Niklaus,"

Bae shrugged. "Oops,"

"I'm calling your bluff, father," Niklaus repeated. "Kill her,"

"Come outside and face me, you little coward, and I won't have to,"

"My whole life you've underestimated me. If you kill her and you lose your leverage so go ahead," Niklaus told him, slowly egging him on as tears began to fall. "Go on kill her. Go on, old man. Kill her. _Kill her!_"

"Your impulse, Niklaus," Mikael sighed. "It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great,"

In a flash of movement Mikael moved to stab the poor human in the back with a dagger but with a flick of Bae's finger she caught his hand. Mikael grunted, finding his hand stalled with the dagger's point barely touching Elena's side. He grunted as his body tensed, trying to force his body to move for him again but it seemed to refuse.

"Now let go of Elena, please," Bae asked before she suddenly smiled. "Oh wait. You have to,"

He glared at Bae over the threshold but she merely smiled. She forced Mikael to let the human go just before she heard Niklaus cry out behind her, turning her around to find Nikalus on the ground with Damon crouched over him, trying to force the White Oak stake under his ribs and to his heart. Bae reached her free hand out in an instant and took control of Damon's body, forcing him to stand up and away from the Original.

"Bae! What are you doing?!" Damon spat.

"_Ba-Boom_,"

An explosion had Bae spinning back around to find all of Niklaus's Hybrids one the ground, crying out in pain from the grenades the supposed Elena had thrown. All of this caused Bae to let go of both Mikael and Damon, shocked when Niklaus flew past her to bring the White Oak stake down on Mikael's heart. Bae barely had time to be warmed by the flames of Mikael's body before she was suddenly slammed back against a wall, her head hitting so hard that she was seeing only blurry shapes for a moment. A pained gasp exited her mouth as she blinked her eyes rapidly; Damon's hand was wrapped around her throat so tightly that she couldn't breathe.

"What the hell did you do?!"

"Damon!_ Stop!_"

The hand holding her against the wall disappeared, dropping her the two feet to the ground where her feet hit the ground awkwardly. She continued to fall until she was on her hands and knees, coughing harshly in the attempt to get in enough air. Her eyes were watering and the skin of her neck hurt, her hands and knees achy and her nerves on edge as she tried to sit up. So when a hand touched her shoulder she gasped, scrambling back until her back touched the wall again, her hand up to control the person touching her.

When her eyes cleared she realized that it was Niklaus beside her, frozen in a kneeling position with his hand reaching out into space. She instantly let him go, taking in a deep breath as she looked him in the eyes. He seemed concerned, continuing to reach for her until he touched her shoulder again, looking her in the eyes.

"I owe you, little Mesmer,"

Bae looked over at Stefan, who was standing up from where his brother had previously been pinned against the ground. She turned her eyes back to Niklaus's and breathed; "Then let Stephan go,"

"Of course," he replied, almost so nonchalantly that Bae had thought she'd imagined him saying it. But she watched him stand from her, turning to look Stefan in the eye. "Bae has earned you your freedom while you've earned my gratitude. Thank you, my friend. You're free to go,"

Stefan blinked twice, the first in reaction to being released and the second in relief, turning his eyes to look down at where Bae still sat.

"Thank you,"

She nodded her head, watching as he vamped away from the scene. She couldn't help the unladylike snort that escaped her as she rested back against the wall, legs spread wide beneath the layers of her dress.


	20. Leverage

**Leverage.**

* * *

Bae sighed heavily as she walked out of the Mystic Grill after a long shift. She'd made a fair amount in tip but it didn't really feel like it made up for the pain in her feet and lower back… or in her arms… or in throbbing head. She was just going to go to one of the fast food places for fries before she headed to bed. She was tired to cook anything healthy for herself.

She walked up to her car with her hand deep in her purse, searching around for the clinking of her keys. She gave an annoyed grunt when she couldn't find them for a long moment, leaving her standing in the dark empty parking lot. She didn't really have a fear that anyone was going to attack her despite her current situation. Anyone who was worth being worried about knew what she was and that it would be stupid to try to attack her.

That is, until her arms were wrenched behind her back, a pair of handcuffs snapping around her wrists.

Bae cried out, fighting against the metal bracelets that kept her from using her powers. It made panic well up in her chest at the thought of being at another's mercy, tears welling up as she fought. She went to scream but a hand closed over her mouth, an arm wrapping around her waist to yank her away from her car at vampire speed.

She was tossed into the back seat of a car seconds before the door slammed and the engine roared to life, sending it flying down the road out of town. Bae gasped for air, trying to bring herself to such a panic that she hyperventilated and couldn't breathe. That was one thing that all Mesmers had in common; they had a horrifying fear of having their hands removed. When she was little her parents once tried to rid her of the ingrained fear and tied her up for two days.

She'd thought that dying of fright was just a saying.

Bae kept her eyes closed as she tried to settle her panic, feeling the galloping beat of her heart and trying to calm it, relaxing her muscles as she tried to forget her predicament. It was futile to try to relax all the way but she was eventually able to open her eyes and look to the driver's seat to face her captor.

"Stefan?"

He didn't react to the sound of her voice but she knew he'd heard her. Vampires have an acute hearing and even above the sound of the engine he would have been able to hear her. His eyes were focused on the road, his movements exact as he sped down the road towards his next destination. She kept her eyes on him as she wiggled in the seat, feeling around for anything that might help her.

Her purse was gone.

Her phone had been in her purse.

Her pepper spray had been in her purse and wouldn't have helped anything.

Her specialized vervain spray she'd made was sitting on her entryway table at her house.

There was nothing sharp around.

There was only two doors on this car and she as in the back seat.

And her hands were literally tied.

"Stefan?" she asked again, her voice a little louder. "What are you doing?"

"I want Klaus's Hybrids out of town," Stefan told her, turning off into the woods where he turned the car off. "He said no, so now I'm going to make him do it," He got out of the car, about ready to shut the door behind him before he leaned back in, poking his head around to look at her. "Oh, and don't try to escape. I really do like you and I'd hate for anything unfortunate to happen before we talk to Klaus,"

"He won't do it,"

The door shut and she watched him vamp away into the woods.

About five minutes later a new body entered the car, the passenger door being slammed behind them. Elena now sat in the passenger seat, looking over at Stefan in shock before looking over her shoulder at Bae as the car backed up at a break neck speed before speeding down the road again. Bae frowned at her, trying to display without words how deep they were in trouble together. It wasn't often that Bae had met the human Elena but she knew that she probably had no idea how much trouble they were in by Stefan.

"What are you doing, Stefan?" Elena asked, turning her attention back to the vampire. "Why is Bae here?"

Stefan remained silent, allowing Elena's ringtone to be clearly heard. She went to answer it but Stefan quickly took it out of her hand, answer it for her.

"Hello, Damon. She's a little busy right now,"

There was silence, presumable Damon speaking but Bae couldn't hear what he said.

"Making my next move," Stefan answered with a smile. "Let me ask you something; what's Klaus going to do if he can't make any more Hybrids?"

"What?" Elena gasped.

Stefan ignored her, hanging up the phone as he rolled down his window.

"What are you doing?" Elena exclaimed at the sight of her flying out the window. "Stefan, let me out of this car. Do you hear me? Let me out of the car,"

He didn't react to her, just kept driving out of town. Bae frowned, settling back in her seat, trying to make herself as comfortable and calm despite her situation. There was no way she was going to be able to get herself out of this one on her own. There was no way out of it period until Stefan called Niklaus and told him what he had planned.

While Bae seriously doubted that Stefan would kill Elena, she also knew that he was smarter than that. They both knew that once Stefan called Niklaus, the Original Hybrid would question whether Stefan could possibly have the nerve to do it. And that was why Bae was there. While Elena was Niklaus's blood source, Bae was one of Niklaus's few friends. That had been proven over the course of them knowing each other and had been proven without a doubt just the night before with Mikael. And while Elena was Stefan's love, Bae was almost nothing to him. She had no doubt that Stefan would kill her… it might give him pause after the month they'd known each other and after her helping him, but he'd kill her. And Niklaus would destroy him.

Bae just hoped that Niklaus would save her.

"So what's the plan, Stefan?" Elena asked him, her voice biting as she looked over at him as if they were talking about a game. "What's the big move you're making?"

"I took Klaus's family to make him suffer," he told her nonchalantly, his eyes on the road. "I'm not going to let him make himself a new one,"

"So then what are you gonna do, huh? Are you gonna lock us in some cage and keep us hostage?"

"Maybe I'll just turn you into a vampire," Stefan said coldly, sending chills down Bae's spine even though he wasn't even talking to her.

"Stop the car, Stefan," Elena exclaimed, suddenly coming to the realization that this was much more serious that she'd previously thought. "Stop the car, Stefan!"

He ignored her, pulling out his phone to call someone. As it started ringing he put it on speaker phone, setting it on the dashboard as a voice answered.

"_Stefan_," Niklaus greeted with feigned cheeriness. "_How nice to hear your voice_,"

"Tell you hybrids to get outta town, Klaus,"

"_Well, that's not going to happen until I get my coffins back_,"

"Okay," Stefan nodded. "Well then I'm gonna drive your blood source off Wickery Bridge,"

"_I don't believe you, Stefan_," he countered easily. "_You won't kill her_,"

"I thought about that," Stefan smiled, looking in the rearview mirror to meet her eyes as she spoke. "That's why I brought your '_little Mesmer_' along for the ride,"

There was a long moment of silence before Niklaus spoke again, his voice barely hiding his anger. "_Bae?_"

"I'm here, Niklaus," Bae answered as calmly as she could, hating the way her voice quivered. "I was getting off work when he grabbed me. He's handcuffed my hands,"

"_Let her go, Stefan_,"

"Why?" Stefan asked with a bone chilling happiness that made Bae cringe. "Because you think I won't kill Elena but you know I'll kill Bae?"

There was silence on the line.

In a flash of movement, Stefan let go of the wheel as his bloody wrist pressed against Elena's mouth. Bae screamed, fear making her body seize up as the car swerved across the asphalt, making the tires shriek and her head hit the glass. She could hear Niklaus yell into the phone but she couldn't hear what he said over the mixture of sounds she and the car made.

Suddenly Stefan grabbed ahold of the wheel again and the car righted itself. Bae gasped in a breath, gasping for air as she pressed her forehead into the back of Elena's seat, trying to get ahold of herself again.

"_What's going on?!_" Niklaus roared angrily.

"I just fed Elena my blood. No more hybrids if she'd a vampire," Stefan told him smugly. "And I don't suppose Bae has your blood in her system, does she?"

Niklaus growled. "_She helped you_,"

"Her fault," Stefan threw back with an audible shrug. "Your fault that you didn't keep a better eye on your pet,"

"_Let her go, Stefan_,"

The car finished the last curve along the road, bringing the Wickery Bridge into sight. Bae watched a Elena's muscles tensed and her hands gripped anything they could get her hands on. She wished she could hold onto something like the human could, but her hands were tied and all she could do was sit back and breathe.

"Say goodbye to your family, Klaus!" Stefan yelled over the scream of the car's engine as the car jerked with speed. "Your coffins, you Hybrids and your Mesmer!"

"Stefan, slow down!" Elena yelled desperately. "Stefan! Stefan, stop it!"

"Stefan," Bae gasped, keeping her eyes closed as she tried to remain calm. If she was going to die, she wasn't going to be a quivering screaming mess doing it, no matter how fast her heart was beating.

"_Fine!_" Niklaus exclaimed, barely audible above Elena's screaming_._ "_I'll send them away. You win. Just stop the car, Stefan_,"

But he didn't stop the car, they just kept speeding towards the bridge.

"Stefan!" Elena screamed. "_Stefan, stop!_"

"_Stop the car, Stefan!_"

The car came to a screeching halt, throwing Bae forward until her shoulder connected with the back of Elena's seat. It didn't dislocate but the pain left her breathless, tears coming to her eyes as the pain rocked through her body. She'd have bruises tomorrow.

"_Bae?!_"

"Niklaus," she gasped, her voice breaking as she swallowed hard on her pain. "Nik-"

"She's fine," Stefan told him, interrupting her. "I'll have them both home in an hour,"

He ended the call the call before Niklaus could say anything else, leaving the car in a deadly silence as the two women tried to get their breathing back down. The silence finally broke when Elena threw her door open and stumbled out of the car, running down the road as Stefan chased after her. Bae didn't listen in. She knew what was going on and she was just glad to be alive, hating that someone she'd thought to be a friendly acquaintance to be someone who would use her to get at Niklaus… but as much as she hated it, she also understood. Niklaus did not back down. There was never an argument or a chance to sway him this way or that unless one had some sort of leverage.

Stefan had used the only leverage he knew would work.

Stefan got back into the car and slammed the car into drive, sending the car speeding down the road again. Bae remained silent, slipping down into her seat as she hoped to God that Stefan wasn't lying about her being home safe in an hour. She just remained silent, watching the world flash by as Stefan's car roared down the road.

"I'm not going to hurt you,"

Bae snorted at that, rolling her eyes as she brought her feet up onto the backseat, not bothering to be careful on the leather. "You could have fooled me. Definitely fooled Elena and Niklaus,"

Stefan frowned, keeping his eyes on the road.

"If you're trying to push her away, it's working," she continued. "She'll not forgive you for this,"

"I don't care what she thinks of me anymore,"

"I think you're lying… But it won't matter whether you are or not after tonight," Bae sighed, looking up at him. "But I must commend you on your choice of weapon against Niklaus. I wouldn't have thought to turn Elena instead of kill her,"

Stefan glanced over his shoulder at her. "Sadistic much?"

"I'm just saying that I get it," she nodded. "I just hope that the end result is worth it to you… and that you know that if you touch Niklaus I will have you staking yourself so fast that you won't even realize there's a stake in your chest,"

"You really feel comfortable saying that while you're handcuffed in the back of my car?"

"You've known it," she countered. "I might not have said it before this but you've known that I'm Niklaus's friend. That's why you took me… And you also know that while I won't let you harm Niklaus, I also wouldn't harm you and yours,"

Stefan remained silent as the car came to a stop a block away from the Mystic Grill. "Come here and I'll take those off,"

She turned in her seat and felt his hands working the handcuffs until the fell from her hands and onto the floor. With a frown she brought her hands in front of her and rubbed her wrists, not having realized how much the metal had rubbed against her skin.

"Well," she sighed, pushing the passenger seat forward as she opened the door. "Thanks for the late night adventure. Next time, don't call me,"

Stefan chuckled, watching her climb out. "Maybe,"

Bae rolled her eyes, slamming the door behind her as she headed down the sidewalk, taking her time to get back to her car. When she got there her purse was sitting on the ground beside her car and upon further observation it seemed that it still had everything inside it. That was a shock on its own but she didn't question it, just picked it up, dug out her keys and got into her car. She sat there for a long moment, taking a deep breath of stale car air before she sagged forward, letting her forehead touch the steering wheel.

She'd almost died because of her friendship with Niklaus.

How ironic that Niklaus was probably the most dangerous being on the face of the planet but he'd never touched her or hurt her. It was one of his enemies, a man that was known for his mortality and kindness despite his past as a Ripper.

Bae sighed.

She's need to be more careful in the future.

A tap on her window had her screaming, nearly jumping out of her seat to get away from the door. Her eyes met blue ones peering in at her, frowning at her reaction as he moved his hands behind his back in a move that she found familiar now. She took a breath and shut her eyes as she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down again.

She opened her door, looking up at Niklaus.

"You weren't at home," he told her.

She shook her head. "No. Stefan just dropped me off a while ago…"

"I'll kill him for his threat," he told her, his voice dangerous. "No one threatens me and lives, Bae,"

She sighed, crossing her arms over the steering wheel to lay her head down, looking up at him out of the corner of her eye. "Well, you have fun with that because I just want to go home,"

* * *

**Author's Note: : (**

**Why won't you review? All I want is a review... Please?**


	21. Keys

**Keys.**

* * *

After the whole Mikael ordeal, Niklaus liked the idea of her being with him as often as possible in case the local "Klaus hunters" decided another underhanded trick that involved her. Bae didn't mind all that much considering it meant spending time with her friend or sitting on his comfortable future reading or listening to music. She'd even gotten the chance to sleep in his luxurious bed when she'd happened upon it. But she knew that she wasn't just there because he was being overprotective of his Mesmer, she knew he was lonely and hurting since Mikael's arrival at his house.

Niklaus handed her the apple and knife she'd asked for as he walked back into the study, continuing on his way to the easel. She placed her book on her knees, trying to continue reading as she sliced into her apple. It was a Granny Smith, her favorite kind and eventually it was completely gone, leaving her to get up and throw away the core in the kitchen.

She came back into the study with a smile.

"I'm headed out,"

Niklaus looked up from his painting with a frown. "Where are you going, little Mesmer? Tired of me already?"

"I have work tomorrow and I plan on sleeping in," she told him, walking up to her chair to swinging her purse onto her shoulder. "That means I have errands to run this afternoon or else I'll be starving for the next few days,"

She turned to head out the door but found Niklaus suddenly there. She gasped, her heart jumping in surprise as she found him there.

"Jeeze, Nik," she chuckled.

"Give me a hug before you go,"

She gave him a look, uncomfortable with this turn of events. Niklaus didn't like to be touched and in turn he rarely touched her beyond a pat on the shoulder or pressure on the small of her back to get her to move. This "hug" business seemed like a ploy to achieve something more sinister.

"Come on, little Mesmer… I won't bite,"

She rolled her eyes at him, opening her arms unenthusiastically and stepping forward. He pulled her in to hug her around her shoulders, her arms falling around his waist. It was nice. Though he wasn't as warm as the people Bae was used to hugging, he still had a warmth to him that made him comfortable to hold onto.

She pulled back, smiling at him shyly as she walked past him. "Bye,"

He didn't say anything just bowed his head as he went back into the study.

She sighed, walking out the front door and up to her car, reaching into her purse to find the harsh stumps of her keys so that she could go home. However, she realized two things as she searched around in her purse; her keys were not in her purse and she'd left her book inside on the table.

She couldn't go anywhere without her keys and she had no plans of walking all the way from the mansion to her house in town. She might be fit but she was a lazy person when it came to walking any place. However, she knew that she'd placed her keys into her purse when she'd walked into his house. She always placed them at the bottom or her over encumbered bag so that it would be easiest for her to find them. This brought about the thought that Niklaus might have stolen them out her bag.

And then there was her book. Her book was one that her brother had given her before he'd left the family and died. Not only did she treasure the book for nostalgic value but it was also one of her favorite books. She didn't even like the idea of leaving the book where it was for one day even if she planned on coming back to get it in the tomorrow morning.

She rolled her eyes as she turned back around and went back inside, slamming the door behind her as she stomped into the study. She cocked a hip and she crossed her arms as she came to stand in the center of the room, glaring at the Hybrid. He stood behind his easel, a smirk clear on his handsome face that made her want to smack him.

After a second he looked up, the smirk growing into a smile. "Why did you come back?"

"You took my keys,"

"Did I?" he asked, setting his book aside as if he were suddenly interested.

"You did,"

The two stayed staring at each other, waiting for the other to break down and give up. Neither did for a long time before Bae finally rolled her eyes, stepping past him and his easel to search through his materials. He turned around and watched her interestedly, crossing his own arms across his chest.

"I know they're here," she told him after thirty seconds of the sound of her rifling through his things with no luck. "You wouldn't put something so trivial away somewhere. You'd put it somewhere that you'd think no one would look and was of your own making. You know how your own materials are organized and no one would be able to find things easily in here…"

"Interesting observation," he assured her with a smile. "But wrong,"

She frowned, turning around to look at him. In a clinical manner, she looked him up and down until she notices the bulge in his pocket along with the sight of her Ironman keychain peeking out of his jeans. In an instant she straightened and was moving after him, only to find that he was no longer standing in front of her. She frowned, spinning around to find him on the other side of his workbench grinning at her from ear to ear.

"You _did_ take my keys, you mongrel," she exclaimed, a smile daring to pull at the corners of her lips as she stepped up to the table. She ran around the table only to find him where she'd once been standing before flashing towards the door at a vampiric speed. She groaned, falling forward until her elbows hit the table and her head was positioned on her palms. She knew that it was pointless to fight him for her keys but somehow the look of that honest smile on his face made her smile back and want to continue.

"Come back here, Hybrid,"

"Make me, Mesmer,"

A glint of excitement appeared in her eyes as she lifted her head from one hand, acting as if she were reaching for him. With the attention of her finger, she took control of his legs. His eyes widened when his right foot took a step towards her, bringing him back into the room and closer to her. She nearly laughed at the sight of his jerking body, looking as if he were a tin soldier on the move. She brought him around the workbench until he was standing directly in front of her, freezing his legs in position as she straightened to look up at him.

"May I have my keys?"

"No," he said with a pout that had to do with being forced.

She grinned at him, poking him in the side. "Please, Niklaus. I would like to go home, get some sleep, eat real food,"

"I have real food,"

"You have healthy food," she told out, her hand touching his pocket but not pulling out her keys quite yet. "Can I have my keys?"

"No,"

She stomped her foot. "What do I have to do for you to hand over my damn keys?"

Niklaus grinned, leaning in towards her slowly, drawing a breath from her. "Surprise me,"

Bae thought about it for a long moment, glare up at him. What could possibly surprise the thousand year old Hybrid?

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and yanked him down into a kiss, surprise the hell out of him. He remained frozen for a good few second before Bae pulled away, slightly out of breath as she stepped back and held her hand out to him for her keys. He frowned at her and when he didn't move for her keys she made a grab for them.

In a flash of movement, he had both of her wrist captured and above her head, her body suddenly pressed between a wall and his long figure. She stared up at him in surprise, a tinge of fear rolling up her spine at having her hands pinned. But she knew he wouldn't hurt her without reason and she hadn't given him one. She could also see the curious expression in his eyes, along with the lust and excitement as he leaned over her, his hot breath on her face.

"You have no reason to fear me," he whispered down to her, his voice a caress as his other hand slid up her chest to cradle the nape of her neck. "You know that I would never hurt you,"

She leaned forward catching his lips with hers before she pulled away from him, smiling when he followed her until the back of her head hit the wall. She had to wait for him to let her go before she could speak, trying to catch her breath as she did so.

"I'm not afraid of you, Niklaus,"

He grinned at her, nearly a smirk. It made her want to say something rude to him about it but his mouth was already on hers. She melted into his body, pulling at her hands as he seemed to enjoy his free range on her body, torturing her. She bit down on his lip in annoyance and pulled at her hands until he let them go, allowing her to grip his shirt and pull him into her. The action made him growl at her, the sound vibrating in his chest and reverberating through her body. It made her smile as she was pressed tightly back against the wall again, him leaving no space between them as he took control again. She gripped his hair in response, kicking off the wall to send them spiraling away and into a table. He hit the table, bending back a bit and bringing her with him, her body arching over his deliciously. She gasped as his hands trailed down her body to cut her butt, bringing her up to wrap her legs around his waist to lift her. He turned and she was on the table, his mouth on her neck as she pulled him down.

The night was theirs.


	22. Teased

**Teased.**

* * *

Niklaus woke before dawn.

He rolled onto his side to find Bae there with him. His face warmed into a smile as he looked over at her, finding her asleep next to him, her dark hair fanned out over her like a second sheet, some of it tangled and knotted from sleep. Her cheek was pressed into her pillow, her face soft with sleep, mouth slightly open as she breathed quietly. His eyes traveled over the silhouette of her body that was barely hidden beneath the sheets.

"It's rude to stare,"

Niklaus was grinning long before his eyes met hers.

She was smiling brightly as him, seeming completely content to lay there with him for the rest of the day. She turned her smile into her pillow before revealing herself again, the smile now a grin as she pushed the hair from her face.

He couldn't help but laugh at her, leaning over her to kiss her. She let him, her hands in his hair to pull him down towards her, pressing him flush against her through the sheets. When he pulled back with a smirk she leaned up and bit down on his bottom lip. He stared at her in shock while she just chuckled, tapping him on the nose.

"No smirking,"

He growled down at her playfully, a smirk appearing on his face regardless. Niklaus was never teased by anyone for reasons that were evident… but he loved being teased and played with by Bae. He was enjoying it.

* * *

**Author's Note:**** I like that the number one review message t****hat I received ****for the last chapter, Keys, was "Finally." : )**

**Thank you for the reviews. You don't know how much I enjoy reading the few that I get. Keep reviewing!**


	23. Falling

**Falling.**

* * *

Bae couldn't really remember how she and Niklaus had gotten into this particular situation but she was happy to be in it nonetheless.

She was currently shirtless and pants less, lying back against the steadily heating leather of one of Niklaus's couches, his body hovering over hers. His mouth was hot against her neck, trailing down her chest aggressively as she wrapped a leg around his waist to bring him closer to her.

They were still friends, just friends that occasionally had benefits that involved a sound proof room. It wasn't as awkward as Bae thought it would be with Niklaus, though she sometimes had to sit back for a moment and remember that he was Niklaus. Outside of their sexual moments, he still didn't like being touched and she tried not to. However, it got confusing when she was reading and she'd suddenly feel lips on the side of her neck.

She was suddenly ripped up off the couch, leaving her to hiss at the sudden pain of the leather leaving her heated skin. She glared at him while he just smiled at her as if he'd meant to cause her pain. It brought her mouth to the side of his neck, her teeth closing on a sensitive part of his neck that she knew he enjoyed having licked and nibbled on. But she bit down hard, leaving behind a mark as he gasped at her at the sudden pain. Next her back hit a wall, her shoulder blades banging painfully.

"Mongrel," she bit at him, their foreheads coming together as they breathed raggedly against each other, Bae's exposed chest rising against his.

"Vixen," he growled at her. "And I don't say that kindly,"

She glared at him, pulling him in to capture his lips before either of them said anything too stupid. She reached around him, tugging at the hem of his shirt to get it off of him, determined not to be the first one naked… as usual. The material gathered around him but he refused to lift his arms to pull it off over his head. She frowned into his mouth, hating him and his stubbornness even as her body was vibrating with excitement and need.

Her hand pressed into his chest and suddenly the control of his body was hers. She eyes popped open with surprise as her as her body was suddenly registering Niklaus's lust along with her own. Her breathing became especially heavily as her eyes met his, recognizing the signature smirk on his lips.

"Shirt. Off. _Now_," she moaned lustfully, his arms releasing her hips to allow her to pull his shirt up and over his head. The only problem is that it got stuck without his help. She fought it with the one hand until she was forced to let go of her control of his body in the desperate need to get his shirt off. He chuckled at her as he helped her, messing up his hair in an attractive way as the shirt hit the ground.

She pulled him in, their teeth clinking together at the force their mouths met as Niklaus hiked her up his body until he was holding her. Wind sent her hair flying until she was standing at the door his bedroom. In a moment of shock her feet suddenly touched ground.

She stumbled back and Niklaus grabbed her wrists to keep her up but it didn't help. Before she could get her footing her heel caught on the edge of the heavy Persian rug that lay over the hardwood floor. She gasped as the weightlessness took her by surprise, falling away from Niklaus until her butt hit the ground hard.

She sat there in a moment of pain and shock, eyes wide as her tailbone throbbed and her wrists burned under Niklaus's hands. She looked up at his face as he looked down at her looking just as surprised as she was though a bit worried. The two stayed that way as something bubbled up in the back of Bae's throat. At first she thought she was going to cry but the sound that bubbled up and out of her mouth was a bark of a laugh. The sound was happy despite the pain, her smile bright as she leaned back with the laughter, pulling lightly on Niklaus as he continued to hold her wrists. Bae couldn't stop laughing, falling all the way back until her back was against the floor, her arms still being held up. First it had been the leather couch, then biting Niklaus, then the wall, the name calling, trying to get his shirt off, and now it was her falling on her ass in the middle of his bedroom.

"I don't think this is working," she snorted, her laughter growing louder and louder.

Above her Niklaus chuckled lightly, loosening his grip on her wrists as he crouched over her, a true smile on his face.

* * *

**Author's Note: This scene was inspired by a Vampire Diaries season 4 blooper where Joseph Morgan dropped Phoebe Tonkin when they were filming the sex scene during episode 16. It was just really awkward and cute. **

**Review?**


	24. Attention

**Attention.**

* * *

Bae was lying languidly beside Niklaus one morning, him sitting up with his back against the headboard reading. It was comfortable until his phone rang and he reached over to get it. She quickly reached out and took the ringing cellphone from him.

"You don't need to get that,"

"Yes, I do. It could be important,"

"Nope. I don't think it is,"

"I'm a very important person, little Mesmer. An Original Hybrid in fact,"

"I think I'm more important," she told him, tucking his ringing phone beneath her pillow as Niklaus reached for it. "Stay away from the phone,"

He smirked down at her, rolling on top of her as he reached beneath the pillow, his hand enclosing hers that was tightly wrapped around the phone. She refused to let it go, even though she could tell he wasn't trying that hard to take it back from her. She could tell he was enjoying this just as much as she was and she wasn't willing to let the playfulness she was seeing disappear.

She grinned up at him as the phone died down, his eyebrow arching towards his hairline. "If it's important they'll call back,"

"And if they don't?"

"Then I get your full attention,"

"Really?"

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to pull her down towards her, kissing him as his cellphone rang again.

* * *

**Author's Note: Which has been your favorite "sex scene"? Review!**


	25. Like

**Like.**

* * *

"I like her," Rebekah admitted.

"Who?" Niklaus asked with a frown, looking in the direction Rebekah was.

He found Bae in her line of sight, smiling warmly down at a group of teenage boys sitting around one of the many tables of the Mystic Grill. They all obviously realized that they had an attractive waitress and would go silent as soon as she walked up to the table, grinning childishly up at her. One ever felt the confidence to whistle at her as she walked away. She didn't react to it however, just continued on with what she was doing until she got back, leaning down near the boy's ear.

"That's real cute," she told him. "But if you try that on your girlfriend, I promise you that you'll lose all feeling in your family jewels when she kicks the crap out of you,"

Niklaus smiled. "Bae? Yes, I like her as well,"

"A Mesmer you said?" Rebekah asked, eyeing the woman. "I can see it… Is that why you're friends with her?"

Niklaus frowned over at her. "I thank you for your confidence in me, little sister. Surely you could find it in your heart to believe that I could have an honest friend,"

Rebekah rolled her eyes, cutting him off. "Don't act as if I've insulted you. We both know my question is warranted, Nik. You use people,"

"True," he nodded, glancing over at the woman again. "But I am not lying when I say she is my friend. A true friend, Rebekah,"

"And do you care for her?"

"Yes,"

"Like you did Tatia?"

Niklaus glared over at her. "Tatia was a lie-"

"Answer my question, Nik," she interrupted again. "Do you care for her in that way?"

"No," Niklaus said easily, watching as Bae walked toward them with her notepad in hand. "I don't feel for her in that way,"

"Hello, big baddies," Bae greeted with a smile, tapping the end of her pad against her pad. "I'll be your server tonight. Don't eat me,"

Rebekah laughed, tossing her blonde head back as she smiled. "Darling, I wouldn't dream of it,"


	26. Left

**Left.**

* * *

Niklaus had been sitting in the same chair for over an hour. It left him with a great deal of time to observe the room around him and to think about what had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

The paint on the walls had been there since the house was built if he could tell anything by the marks on the walls or the dullness of the color. The books on the ten dollar bookshelf in the corner weren't read often as there was a great deal of dust built up in on the shelf in front of the books. The only book that had a clean streak in front of it was a very unremarkable looking book with a female on the spine with a paw print tattoo. The couch had a deeper divot on the very left next to the arm as opposed to any of the other seats. The only well used place in the vicinity seemed to be the dining room which had been repurposed as a painting studio, the work bench being the cheap dining room table. Paintings were placed anyplace she could find room for them; stacked on the seats of chairs, piled up on the table, leaning against a wall, stacked to make an extra table for her materials. It certainly wasn't good for her artwork but he couldn't fault her for not having the room or funds.

He tried not to react each time a car would drive near to her home. At first- though he tried not to admit it to himself- he would feel a glimmer of hope at hearing the hum of an engine grow close. Maybe she was returning to him? Maybe she was lying dead somewhere? Maybe she wasn't missing? Maybe she hadn't left him…

But then the car would bypass the house and the anger would set in. How could she be so stupid as to run off on her own without telling him? Why hadn't she called to tell him? Why hadn't she left clues for him to follow if she'd been kidnapped? How could she leave him? Given that there were no signs of a struggle, he was inclined to believe that she'd gone willingly, but that still didn't rule out kidnapping or her running away. If she'd gotten herself killed he planned on not caring because it would be her own fault for not telling him.

However, he'd still gain revenge on whoever might have hurt her.

And so he waited, as he'd been waiting, sitting in the chair until something or someone turned up. He'd gotten a few phone calls throughout the day but had refused to move from his seat until she returned to him. It had grown tiresome and he'd been forced to catch up a bit on his reading but he was stubborn and persistent.

Just then another car turned down the road. It sounded like an old engine though it was cleaner than he might have expected. As it grew closer to the house he straightened a bit in his seat, silently waiting for any indication that this was Bae. The car was slow as it drove down the street and it took a nearly painfully long amount of time before it slowed to a near stop as it turned into her driveway, parking just in front of the garage door.

The rage set in then. Where had she been? Why hadn't she told him? Had she no idea how much danger she'd been in while out of his grasp? Had she no idea that he would worry for her?

Of course not.

So he waited as he heard her key jingle in the lock before her body slipped through the door, the faint scent of her blood making Niklaus frown. She was moving stiffly as well, groaning as she got the door closed and turned to face him.

"Where have you been?"

She gasped, eyes wide as she threw herself back against the door, hand over her heart as she stared at him wide eyed. With her facing him, he could now see the reason he could scent her blood from across the room or see the stiffness in her body as she moved. She had small cuts across her face, a split lip, a thick bruise across her cheek and other bruises that he could see due to her missing shirt beneath her leather jacket. He could also see the white bandage across her middle with a bloody stain just below her above, not too far away from her heart.

He was in front of her in a second, the scent calling to him as his mouth watered but not nearly as much as his need to know if she was alright. His hands came to her waist, his eyes on the wounds that told him that she'd been ambushed, beaten by several people who had then tried to kill her with a knife. Somehow she'd gotten away from them and Niklaus didn't plan on letting her out of his sight again, nor was he going to let her assailants live.

"Please," she gasped at him, tears in her red puffy eyes. "Please. Please, Niklaus. Just leave. Leave. Please. I want you to leave,"

His frown deepened, as his hands clutched her hips, refusing to let her move away from him. "I want you to tell me what happened. Who has harmed you?"

"Niklaus-"

She tried to move past him but he pushed her back into the wall, letting gentleness go out the window for a moment. He regretted the move as soon as she gasped, her brow furrowing in pain as her eyes dropped shut. He let her go, his eyes pleading for her to forgive him. He hadn't meant to hurt her.

"You must tell me, Bae,"

"I can't,"

"Why not?"

"Because you'll hurt them,"

Niklaus frowned at her again, confused until he came to a realization. "It was your family,"

She frowned up at him, tears falling down her cheeks. "I was a stupid little girl," she snapped at him, wiping furiously at her tears, frowning when she accidently touched her bruised cheek. "My cousins had somehow convinced my contacts to get in contact with me…" She took in a breath, tears flowing. "It was the anniversary of my brother's death… they said they wanted me there…and I went… because I'm a gullible little _idiot_,"

"Because he was your brother,"

She met his eyes, glaring. "I went to the cemetery with them… My mother and father were both happy to see me but I could tell something was wrong when they asked me back to the house with them… They left me in a room full of my cousins that are as gentle as rabid dogs…" She turned her eyes away, towards the darkened window. Tears were falling more freely, leaving her shaking as she tried to fight it. "… They beat me. Said that no one leaves the family… not even me,"

Her hand came up to touch her wound, her eyes fogging over as she looked over his shoulder.

"They tried to hold me with their power, freeze me in place so they could cut out my heart… They stabbed me before I could release myself from their hold… I jumped out the window… I left my car in their driveway and found my way back here,"

"Why didn't you call me?"

She looked up at him, almost in surprise. "… I… I don't know…" she sniffed, dropping her eyes to his shoulder with a depressed frown. "Maybe I was embarrassed that I had fallen into their trap… didn't think you'd come. This isn't your problem…"

"You are my friend, Bae," he told her, almost hurt that she would say such a thing. "Most might think me heartless but I thought you knew me better,"

She frowned at him, looking more tired in that moment than she had in the entire time he'd known her. She seemed to sag under the weight of the last few days, leaning forward and pressing her forehead into his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his waist. He stiffened at first but eventually relaxed against her, pressing his face into the side of her neck as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. They stayed like that for a very long time until he felt her start to lean into him more for support to stay standing than for comfort. He chuckled and stepped away from her carefully, watching as she blinked up at him tiredly.

"You need to sleep, little Mesmer," he told her. "I'll make sure you are alright,"

She sighed. "Thank you,"


End file.
